Saturday, 22 August 2015

On this day in 1485 Richard III fell in battle at Bosworth Field, the last King of England to die in combat.

The 530th anniversary is an opportunity for advance publicity for my BIFHSGO presentation You be the Judge: Did DNA Prove the Skeleton under the Leicester Car Park was Richard III? on 10 October

In 1485 the body of King Richard III, killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field, was buried in nearby Leicester. Over the years the exact grave location and fate of the remains were lost to history. An archaeological excavation in 2012 revealed a skeleton. This presentation reviews the forensic evidence and asks you to be the judge whether the skeleton is the king as the evidence is revealed. We look at how the University of Leicester archaeologists came to their conclusion using likelihood ratios for non-genetic and genetic data and draw out lessons for genealogists.